This invention relates in general to streaming media, and more specifically to client rendering rate control in a mobile carrier environment.
Available bandwidth in mobile carrier networks can vary widely. In densely populated areas, the number of subscribers connected to a single access point can reduce bandwidth allocations for all users. As mobile users are handed off between access points, sparse coverage, or dense population can affect bandwidth availability at any time. For streaming media, which require long lived connections, being able to adapt to the changing bandwidth can be advantageous. Though video bitrate adaptation is often used to combat bandwidth variations, short term fluctuations can also be addressed with playout rate adaptation.